Plane carrying 9 people crashes in Palm Beach County and erupts in massive fireball - The Independent

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At least nine people are dead after a business jet crashed in Florida’s Palm Beach County on Sunday and erupted into a big fireball.

The Learjet 60 crashed in a neighborhood near Cresthaven at 12:50 p.m. and all nine people onboard were killed, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

The Bahamas-bound flight had departed from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas.

It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone on the ground was injured. Teams with the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were headed to the crash site.

“Today's plane crash in Palm Beach County, Florida is a horrific tragedy,” Duffy wrote.

“Please join me in praying for the families and loved ones of those we lost — Federal Aviation Administration & U.S. Department of Transportation are closely monitoring this crash and will share updates as we learn more.”

The plane crashed roughy 7 or 8 miles from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, which is located in Palm Beach. Trump is currently in Iowa for a midterms election rally.

Video shared on social media showed the aircraft nose-diving from the sky and exploding into a giant ball of flames near a major road, inches from passing vehicles. The crash left a huge crater in the pavement, with flames leaping up near a roadside utility pole.

Chunks of pavement were seen engulfed in fire as people stood nearby, expressing shock that it landed feet from homes. Black smoke billowed out of the hole in the ground, wafting past palm trees swaying on the stormy day.